What's next? Oh yeah...Easter...

So, we had a rough first week home, for sure.  We made a lot of rookie mistakes and got way less rest than what a person needs to function as a sane parent...but finally, things started to turn around just in time for Easter. 

The Thursday before Easter, Steve and I ventured out to Jenna's school Easter party.  It was actually held at a fellow student's house right here in our little town.  Kylie screamed most of the way there in the car seat but once we got there and loaded her into the Ergo, she was better.

Jenna was very excited we were there...because obviously, she was a big hit with the new little Chinese sister.  She enjoyed hunting eggs...

There was yummy food but the most fun was with the silly string fight.  I thought that would be a disaster, but it ended up being really fun for the kids.  Kylie was asleep by this time or else I would have partook myself.  Many of the adults did...

It was lots of fun and we enjoyed getting out.  We took Jenna home with us after, so it was nice to have her home a bit early too.

A few days earlier, we went to see some of Jenna's art which was on display at the high school and to watch her perform in the 4th grade chorus.  It was really Kylie's first outing and Steve carried her in the Ergo.  She did well...



And just so I don't forget, Jenna got her report card while we were in China.  We had told her she MUST do well if she wanted to go.  Her report card?  STRAIGHT As.  That's right...my girl worked so hard...I was so proud.  Now, if we can ever get caught up from the work she missed for the week and 1/2 she was out...

Busy Times

Now that I've pretty much caught up with the China trip (thanks for reading...so many emails and comments...much appreciated!), I'm going to try to get caught up with our daily goings on.  Some days there won't be much, but lately, we've been busy!

Monday we went to the Vanderbilt International Adoption Clinic.  We are so fortunate to live so close to such a fabulous facility with this type of service.  The doctor there reviewed Kylie's stats with us.  She is in about the 9th %ile for weight, 18-19th %ile for height and like the 28th %ile for head circumference.  These are in comparison with the world health organization so it takes into consideration kids from all over the world, not just US.

The doctor wasn't concerned because every 3-4 months in an orphanage, a child is developmentally delayed by one month.  So she is about 10-11 months developmentally, but the doctor expects she will catch up soon. 

After the doctor, we had to go to the lab to have blood drawn.  They took probably 5-7 vials of blood from both arms.  She was asleep when they started, so you can imagine she screamed bloody murder.  Even Katie and Steve heard it from the waiting area.

After the traumatic experience, we ran through McDonald's for lunch and ate at the park before my own annual exam appointment.  Then it was on to get Jenna.  This is how Kylie spent most of the ride home...

Bless her, she was exhausted, but she did SO good considering.

Today was our appointment with the plastic surgeon and our visit to have her TB test read (which was totally negative).  The surgeon was so nice and explained how they would do the repair.  She'll have to have some speech therapy immediately after to get her speech headed in the right direction.  She'll stay in the ICU the night of surgery and then in the hospital 2-4 more days.  The soonest we could schedule the surgery was end of May right about the time I had to head back to work.  So we punted until end of July to give me time to get back to work and settled.  Surgery is July 23.  More to come....

Tomorrow is our first post-placement visit.  Looking forward to getting that one over with!

OK, more later, but right now, I have a hungry baby and she's going to be VERY tired...long day with very little nap.

Our final hours in China...

Wednesday morning, we got up and had a leisurely breakfast.  We had several hours to finish packing (which seemed like a monumental task) and get ready to catch our ride to Hong Kong.

Jenna took pics at breakfast...

There was a gorgeous courtyard outside our hotel and it was our view at breakfast the entire time we were in the Garden Hotel.  So, after breakfast, we went out and got some shots since we had time to spare.

And probably my favorite...

At 3:30, we met downstairs and reviewed our paperwork one more time and then it was a very NICE van ride to Hong Kong.  The ride took about 3 hours and again, Kylie was good the entire time.  Hong Kong is an interesting place.  Even though they are part of China, they are run by an entirely different government.  They drive on the opposite side of the road, cars steering wheels are on the opposite side, they use different money and when you get to the border, you are shot with a thermo gun to see if you have a fever (we didn't, thank goodness) and then you have to get out of the car and go into this big rest-stop type area for your passport/visas to be reviewed.

We checked into our hotel and had just enough time to feed Kylie, Skype with our boys and get ourselves ready for the next morning.  We ordered room service for dinner and then went to bed so we'd be sure not to miss our alarm and airport shuttle the next morning.

We skipped breakfast the next morning in the interest of time and thinking we'd grab something at the airport.  We got the shuttle, but when we got to the airport, there was a super long line to check in.  By the time we checked in, we had about 1 hour before the flight left, and they were going to begin boarding in about 20 minutes.  We had a LONG commute in the airport to get where we needed to go and we were carrying Kylie, plus about 2 carry ons each.  We made it to our gate, but they were already boarding.

I went up to the lady and because we had a baby and lots of stuff, they let us cut line and get settled which was a GOD SEND.  I seriously wanted to kiss that airline staff person.  The flight from Hong Kong to Chicago was pretty good.  I felt like I was going home.  The food was more American, the flight attendants were more attentive and the announcements were in English first, then Mandarin. 

Kylie was WONDERFUL.  She played, slept and was fussy for just a tiny bit.  Our wheels touched down in Chicago at 12:07pm on Thursday, March 29.  That is the moment our Kylie became a US Citizen!

We had to go through customs and immigrations with the big top secret brown, sealed envelope of Kylie's paperwork.  The minute we stepped through the door at customs, the sweetest site ever met my eyes...I wish I had gotten a photo but it was the LAST thing on my mind...

So this photo will have to do.  I was SO. SO. SO. happy to see Steve and Katie standing there waiting on us.  The best decision I made about this whole trip was having Steve meet us in Chicago.  There just aren't words to describe how happy I was to see him there.  No.  Words.

And Kylie took right up with him.  No fear.  Just pure infatuation on both their parts.

Our flight departing Chicago was on time and we landed about 6:10ish in Nashville...but those are some special pictures....my friend Samantha Byers documented our homecoming in Nashville and it deserves a post of it's own...and there were others there with their cameras....so here's a sneak peek...

Ah yes. 

HOME.

How are we doing? Part II

We are now nearly 2 weeks home...so the question we get all the time is how are we doing.

At the risk of jinxing things, we seemed to have turned a corner.  Kylie LOVES the bath.  Let me give you a small taste of just HOW much she loves it...

We weren't really sure what to expect because we only gave her a few baths in the sink in China.  And they were super fast out of necessity.

Kylie has gone from not sleeping at all anywhere to sleeping on the couch in the living room downstairs.  Steve and I spent probably 1/2 a week swapping up who would sleep on the recliner.  The other would take the bed.  We'd shut the bedroom door so we couldn't hear if she was crying downstairs.  This finally gave us the much needed rest we needed.  Then, he moved her to the pack n play downstairs and we took turns sleeping on the couch.  The couch was not my friend.  My night was Saturday before Easter and it was pretty miserable.  But I determined not to let Satan ruin that wonderful day and God blessed me with an extra measure of restfulness.

Kylie is now sleeping in her pack n play upstairs in our bedroom.  Last night was my "on" night and I didn't have to get up with her until about 1:45am.  I was able to pat her back to sleep.  She woke up again at 5:30am soaked through her diaper.  I changed her and held her in bed with me.  She fell back asleep and Steve got up to take Jenna to school (whoever is "on" during the night, the other does morning drop off) and I laid her on the bed next to me where we slept until 8am!  Praise!

So, we are doing better.  However, we are spending LOTS of time together at home so we feel like we are constantly entertaining her so we can bond.  And we are.  Pretty much one of us is holding, talking to, feeding, changing or playing with her.  So it is wearing on us.  We have been blessed by many, MANY meals from friends at church and that has been a LIFESAVER.  Each meal is delicious and delivered with much love for our sweet girl.  I will never be able to thank all the families that have assisted us in this way.  I plan to pay it forward as I can.

I got an email yesterday from a friend asking what we need and how we ended up on our fundraising.  I thought if she had those questions, my readers might too, so I'll answer them here.

We continue to need lots of prayers because this is hard.  In terms of physical needs, if you know of someone looking to get rid of 12 month girl clothes that are summer season, let me know.  Not knowing what size she was, we bought limited clothes.  She can wear 9 month, but will soon outgrow those.  I might take a trip to the local consignment store soon.  We have borrowed so much stuff from friends...we have been blessed.

As for our fundraising, after travel, we have about $9000 in travel expenses on our credit card.  I anticipate an adoption reimbursement from work in the amount of $4500, so that will cover about 1/2, after taxes.  We have two grants that we have not heard from and who will grant to families that have already traveled.  We should hear from them soon and we are praying hard that we are granted something from them.  If not, we will complete this adoption with about $4500 debt, which is pretty darn good.  Continue to pray for God's provision in this.

So that's the update from the Taylor household...now we are off to enjoy some dinner, ala KFC courtesy of our friends, the Millsaps.

Oh and if you have a chance, say a prayer for Steve's dad.  He is in congestive heart failure and the next 24/48 hours are critical.

Trying to finish up China...

I'm so behind, so I appreciate your patience!  Last you read, we had visited the safari park in Guangzhou.  After that, we had some time at the hotel to rest and have lunch and then it was off to the famous Shamian Island for shopping.

We bought several souvenirs and then met up with several of our traveling families for dinner at Lucy's.  Lucy's is well known to adoptive families as being the best place to get American food.

I had a cheeseburger and while I thought it was good, I don't think everyone else loved what they had.  We ended up going back to the island the next day after our consulate appointment.

Our appointment started out rocky because *someone* was late.  And yes, after they told us not to be late, because if we were the bus would leave us and we'd have to find our own way there.  In my defense, we were on the 22nd floor and it took 10 minutes to get an elevator up and down.  But yes, my guide was furious with me.  However, in the end, we got there on time and all was well.  The consulate doesn't allow videos or cameras so there's nothing for me to post.  It was a very non-event.  We went in and the entire room stood up to swear we would give accurate information.  Then, you waited for your name to be called and then went up to the window with your paperwork, signed some stuff and then you were done.

After we did that, several families went back to Shamian Island to finish shopping.  Our main goal was shoe shopping at Sherry's!

Deanne was not as interested in the kid shoe shopping as I was, so she waited outside with the strollers while we shopped inside.

We also got some pics around the island that I had wanted the day before but wasn't able to get.

After shopping, we caught a taxi back to the hotel and then rested until our evening dinner cruise.  We had been warned that the food wasn't great, so we ate a very late lunch.  I didn't eat anything on the cruise, but Jenna and Deanne did.  Kylie even enjoyed some food.  The dinner cruise was a great opportunity for me to catch some of the beautiful sights of Guangzhou at night...

It was a late night, but it was a good one. It was our last evening in Guangzhou...Wednesday afternoon, Kylie's visa would be picked up which would be the last thing we needed to fly home!

More China (sigh)

I know most of you are bored from the China posts now that we are home.  I need to get it journaled and trust me, there's not a whole lot going on here to blog about.  In terms of sleep, last night was better than what we were dealing with a few nights ago, but it wasn't as good as the past few nights.  It was my night in the recliner and Kylie just seemed like she couldn't get comfortable.  We are going to try the pack n play down here tonight (maybe).  We are making tiny baby steps, which is fine...but this mama is ready for a jump.  :)

So, Monday in China, we got up and after a quick check of the older kids' TB tests (Kylie was young enough that she didn't have to have it), we were on the way to the Safari Park!

The problem in going places in China was that Kylie HATED the stroller.  We borrowed one from the hotel and she just didn't care for it.  So we either had to carry her, or I had to strap her to me, which was fine, but after hours on my feet with 20 extra pounds, my back would start to kill me.  Luckily Deanne is more used to toting around kids, so she was a huge help.

The first thing we did at the safari park is ride a little cart around and see some of the animals, so Kylie didn't have to tolerate the stroller for long.  :)  I am not sure she was loving the ride either, but it beat the stroller.

There were plenty of animals to see as we rode by...I wish I'd had my zoom lens, but that never made it out of the camera bag. :(

The camels were neat to see...just weird seeing the in China I guess.

But of course, the biggest thing we were all waiting to see in the safari park was the pandas!  Again, this is one time I wish I had my zoom lens, but I got some good shots anyway.

Finally Kylie decided she liked the stroller OK.  I guess if I could ride around like this, I'd like a stroller too!

Please note, it wasn't too long after this until she had a meltdown and we had to take her out.  We were about 20 minutes from having to meet the group back at the front anyway, so we headed back and Deanne sat with Kylie with Jenna and I explored some more on our own.

After the safari park, we headed back to the hotel to eat lunch (which was delicious compared to what we'd had so far) and rest a bit before the shopping trip later that afternoon. 

More China pics...and a sleep update

I'll start out with the sleep update since that's the first thing on my mind right now.  Last night was Steve's night in the recliner and Kylie's second night on the couch.  I went to bed being afraid that Kylie would not sleep as well for Steve and that I'd feel guilty.

I went to bed at 10pm praying that God would allow both of them a good night's rest.  Well.  I woke up 8 hours later when the alarm went off, dressed, brushed my teeth and then Jenna and I tiptoed downstairs.  Kylie was still on the couch!  She slept from 9pm to 12:30 on the couch, then got restless and he held her on him until 1:30.  Then put her back down and she slept until after we left for school at 6:30.  He held her until 8:30 and then we made her wake up to start her day.  :)  We are both feeling better and more hopeful, but keep praying that this is just the beginning.

OK, back to China.  I last left you, we had shoped at the jade and pearl market in Guangzhou.  That was Sunday.  That evening before dinner, we did a group picture of our travel group.  Unfortunately, you can't see us in the picture, but I'm posting it anyway so you can see the wonderful group of people we traveled with...

Everyone that had traditional Chinese dresses put their kids in them and got pics too.  I had Kylie and Jenna's outfit but didn't have ours yet, but Deanne got a couple good ones of us.

Here is a picture of Jenna's new friends...

This is the Hennesey girls.  The older girl was adopted this trip (along with a baby a tiny bit older than Kylie).  She is such a sweet girl.

So that's it for this post.  Monday started out with the safari park...more on that...

Sleep...

This will be quick because I'm about to head to bed.

I will apologize in advance for the lack of posts here.  I know I have several days in China to blog about and tons of pictures and videos to upload and share, but right now, we are just...surviving.

I'm not usually one to complain, but these past days have been the hardest I have ever experienced in my life.

I won't go into details because I have done, said and thought things I am not proud of, but sleep deprivation can do that to a person.  Kylie is not the sleeper here that she was in China.  And yes, if you can suggest it, we have tried it.

We have gotten progressively less and less sleep each night.  Last night, we put her on the couch to sleep (where she has been taking naps) and I slept in the recliner while Steve took the bed (with the door closed) and she slept from 10 until about 3:30 when she had to be picked up and held the rest of the night.  So I got several hours, which is better than the coupe I'd been getting.  We hope we are turning a corner, but I'm scared to hope.

The past few days I have cried harder and more often than I have in my entire life.  I have prayed harder than I have my entire life.

So, pray.  Pray hard that this is the first of many better nights.  Steve has the recliner tonight.  I have the bed.  I won't lie.  I'm looking forward to it.  But already feeling guilty if she doesn't sleep as well.  I'm praying hard too.

I'll be back on here soon.  Until then, thanks for your prayers.

China-day 2 in Guangzhou

After our busy day on Saturday, Sunday we met up and went to the pearl and jade markets.  Kylie felt much better which was great!

We had already visited the jade market back in Beijing, so we went straight to the pearl market.

Unfortunately, we figured out rather quickly that Kylie is not a fan of the stroller. But between us an our guide, I was able to make a great purchase of two pearl bracelets...one for Jenna and one for Kylie.

We bought some pretty neat souvenirs there at the mall.  Then after, it was back to the hotel to rest a bit before dinner.  This was the night were we went to a group dinner.  I originally said it was the night before, but that night Jenna and I went to dinner at Pizza Hut with our new friends Jill and Scott and their newest addition, Hannah.  I went with just Jenna because that was the night Kylie was running a fever and Deanne thought I needed some time away.  Boy was she right.

So that brings us up to Monday...

How are we doing?

So we keep getting this question, so I thought I'd write a quick post about how we are doing, 3 days home.

The days are pretty good.  I am nearly back to US time.  I still feel tired early at night.  For example, I went to bed last night at 8:45pm.

Part of that is because Kylie goes to bed between 8-9pm.  She sleeps really well (usually) until about 2-3am and then she wakes up and regardless of the reason why (wet, dirty, cold, on her back etc.), it takes 2-3 hours to get her back to sleep.  So for the last 3 nights, all 4 of us have been up from about 2-3 hours between 2-5am.  Then she goes back to sleep and will sleep until 9-10am.  So we are catching up on our sleep, but it makes for a weird day when you are getting breakfast at lunchtime etc.

It is awful being up in the middle of the night again.  And fatigue, like I said before, makes a person somewhat crazy and way less patient.  I have had thoughts that I would be embarrassed to admit to in the wee hours of the morning.  Having a newborn is hard.  But having a one year old on about a 9 month old level dropped in your life is even harder.  Complicating matters is the fact that we haven't done this in 10 years.  We didn't have 9 months of "What to Expect when You're Expecting"...we read blogs.  MANY blogs.  But so many of them paint this rosy picture of life at home so that's what we were expecting as well.

And yes, when she wakes up all smiles and laughs and reaching for you...it does seem worth it.  But when you are in that wonderful deep sleep and you wake up to screams and it just goes on and on and on, it just seems like more than you can bear.

But Steve and I are a team and if it's possible, I think we are closer now than before.  We have a game plan for tonight since Jenna is back to school tomorrow.  And we are on our faces before God praying for that extra endurance.  Last night, the thought crossed my mind, "I. CAN'T. DO. THIS."  And through my tears I heard God say back, "I know.  But I can."  So we are joining ourselves to Him and praying knowing this too shall pass.

Should you be an adoptive family also struggling, please know you are NOT alone.  Some blogs seem so picture perfect, but it is not always that way.  Like anything worth having, it's not easy, but it can be easier knowing you aren't alone.  Whatever you are feeling, there are others who have been there and felt that.  Please reach out to those who have been there and survived.

If you are a family contemplating adoption, go into it knowing that the paperchase is the easy part (although I'll be the first to tell you it sure didn't seem like it!).  But if it it what God ordained for your family, then He will give you what you need to make it through it.

I go to bed tonight knowing an early morning commute awaits.  Steve readies for bed tonight knowing that an even earlier morning waits for him (most likely).  But we are praying together tonight for endurance.  And for those less than perfect nights to lead to perfect days.  Days that will make these long nights fade into the background.

China-Trying to catch up

Let's see, so last post, we were just about ready to leave Nanjing for Guangzhou...

We flew out on Friday afternoon about 4:45pm and our flight was delayed slightly.  We finally landed in Guangzhou and boarded a huge bus.  We circled around and picked up several other families who had landed from other flights.

We finally got checked in late and our room was SO much nicer than the other hotels.

We settled in and prepared for the next day's adventure...the medical exam.  I have heard another blogger refer to this similar to hell and it was close.

There were probably close to 100 adoptive families, if not more, all crammed into a much-too-small room with what felt like no air.

After about 2 hours, we were done and cleared from a medical standpoint, which really doesn't mean anything except she didn't have any seriously contagious disease.  However, that evening when we finally settled at the hotel, she had a fever of over 100.  I started her on antibiotics because after thinking about her symptoms, I was pretty sure she had an infection...either ear or sinus.

After the medical exam, we had the afternoon free until dinner.  We went to dinner as a group at a local restaurant.  It was just OK and afterwards, we and some friends walked to the WalMart to get some supplies.  That was an adventure, but it was so nice to spend time with new friends.  Kylie slept better after the antibiotics and so I was very glad we gave them to her.

We go to bed as soon as she falls asleep because we are so exhausted after the long, active days.  At this point, we are read for home...

More to come...